A simulation study to evaluate and compare monofacial Vs bifacial PERC PV cells and the effect of albedo on bifacial performance

Abstract

Bifacial devices (bifacial cells and modules) have the capability of absorbing irradiation from its front as well as its rear side. This phenomena enables bifacial devices to produce a higher energy yield and consequently a reduction in the levelized cost of energy is achievable. Bifacial PV modules also have a higher energy density as they are capable of producing more energy for the same area. This paper presents a study on the modelling of a PERC bifacial cell performance under STC conditions (AM 1.5G) for different albedos. Along with that, a comparison between monofacial and bifacial cell when exposed to the same conditions is presented. A simulation has been carried out to determine the capability of c-Si PERC bifacial solar cells to derive power compared to its monofacial counterpart. The results show that bifacial solar cell produces more JSC and power relative to monofacial cell. The bifacial cell output is also measured for varying albedo, with higher power being derived at higher values of albedo. These results highlight the beneficial property of bifacial PV technology.